Grains of Knowledge

Experience modifications rating factors (EMRs) are premium adjustments that modify your premium positively or negatively based on your own loss experience. Rating bureaus calculate a modification applied to a premium based on the information reported by the insurance company. This information consists of payroll and loss information for the past three full years.

In today’s agricultural scene, farmers have become creative in finding new ways to earn income in addition to the traditional farming practices of growing crops or raising livestock. One of those supplemental avenues is called agritainment, which is also known as agritourism.

Because harvest season is a busy time for agricultural workers who are usually working longer hours with heavier workloads, it is an ideal time to remind your staff about the risks of common farm accidents such as bin-related falls.

From corn mazes to hayrides, opening your farm to the public for fall-themed activities can add a new revenue stream to your business. But doing so also presents risks if you fail to take measures to keep people safe.

The ingredients for grain dust explosion are common in a farm environment: fuel (the dust), oxygen — which suspends the dust in the air — and an ignition source. All three ingredients can be found in grain elevators or feed mills. But the ignition source of most explosive fires is material handling equipment, such as legs and conveyors.

It’s harvest time and all of your hard work has finally come to fruition. But as the days get shorter and you rush to get crops in during the harvest window, it can be tempting for you and your employees to cut corners.

If you have been following the upcoming 2016 Presidential election, you know that Immigration reform has been a hot topic among the potential candidates. While the solutions the candidates offer vary, how the immigration system is reformed is critical to agriculture in the U.S.

If you made a list of what keeps agribusiness plant operators awake at night, the threat of a Listeria outbreak would be near the top. Listeria is the bacteria that causes listeriosis, a potentially life-threatening infection that can cause sepsis and meningitis, among other serious inflammatory conditions. Complicating matters, Listeria is hardier than many other forms of bacteria, able to grow in temperatures between 39 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit.

Entrepreneurial farmers across the country have discovered that seasonal events — particularly Halloween — can be opportunities to earn significant extra income. Corn mazes, hayrides, bonfires, pumpkin patches, produce markets and haunted houses and barns mark the season. This profit center even has a name: agritainment.